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This Tattoo Artist Conceals Dark Circles With His Ink

If you feel like no amount of sleep, water, eye serum, or concealer can put your puffy dark circles to rest, you’re not alone. While some dermatologists recommend under-eye fillers to help alleviate the complexion concern, others warn against them. So what’s a girl to do? Well, according to Instagram, get a tattoo of course.

São Paulo-based tattoo artist Rodolpho Torres is blowing up on the ‘gram for his tattoo-meets-dermatology approach to beauty woes in South America. Boasting over two million Instagram followers, he wows his audience by covering stretch marks, applying faux lipstick, and hiding birthmarks with custom mixtures that complement each client’s skin tone. While he became Insta-famous for his stretch mark videos and before-and-after pics, nowadays the Internet can’t stop swooning over his under-eye concealer tattoos.

As much as we love an oddly satisfying beauty video, we’re wise enough to know you shouldn’t believe everything you see on the Internet. So, before booking a ticket to Brazil, we checked in with a derm to get an expert opinion.

Know the Risks

Torres claims his technique evens and smooths the under-eye area for a filtered effect. He notes that most clients have to be treated three or four times, and he can’t guarantee the exact number of sessions required since everybody reacts differently.

While the videos certainly appear to be impressive, there could be adverse side effects. “Although the type of tattoo pigment used in this procedure is not disclosed, tattoo pigments themselves carry inherent risks,” explains NYC-based dermatologist Loren G. Franco. “Yellow pigments containing cadmium can cause a severe allergic reaction when exposed to sunlight. Other pigments contain azo dyes, which can cause hypersensitivity reactions in certain predisposed individuals.”

While Torres has over 10 years of tattoo experience and his technique has been approved by Anvisa, a Brazilian agency of sanitary surveillance that monitors the production, marketing, and use of products and services subject to health regulation, it is important to remember that he’s not a doctor. “Procedures around the eyelid should be reserved for experienced medical professionals only,” Franco says. “It’s a high-risk area where scarring can lead to eyelid deformities such as ectropion, where the lower eyelid becomes pulled down and outward. This leads to many otherwise avoidable complications such as tear duct problems and infections.” (Photo via CasarsaGuru/ Getty)

As sensitive as the under-eye area is, it’s also always changing, which can be problematic. “The color of the skin around your eyes and on your face is fluid and changes over time — but tattoos stay the same,” Franco says. “The sun has no tanning effect on the tattoo (albeit, they do become less bright with the passage of time and chronic sun exposure), but will cause both temporary and permanent darkening of the surrounding skin over time.”

To Ink or Not to Ink

Yes, tattoos are meant to be permanent, but since Torres’ treatment doesn’t tackle the underlying issue of puffy, dark circles, it might not mean the end to yours. According to Franco, oftentimes under-eye circles are caused by age-related fat loss in the eyelid tissue, which cannot be halted by tattooing the area. While you may be able to conceal the dark appearance with Torres’ “eye camouflaging,” the swelling won’t go away completely since the ink can’t counteract the loss of volume of the area. (Photo via no_limit_pictures/ Getty)